The King and his Knight (O/O) [CLOSED] {M}

Kerta's new chambers were right next to Rhys's chambers, so it would be no surprise if she heard the loud noises coming from behind the door. Nox, the pet raven the prince had raised since he was just a chick, was in the middle of cawing a "song" that Rhys had taught the bird. Annoying? Yes. But the noise was the best thing available to calm Rhys down.

The prince was sitting in a chair, only the back legs touching the floor because of how Rhys was tipping it—his legs were propped up onto a nearby desk. He was idly sharpening a sword while he watched Nox, his mind incapable of straying from what had just happened.

"I'm not some sort of precious vase that needs guarding," Rhys grumbled angrily, his temper flaring once again with the blow to his ego. It wasn't fair to him, and they hadn't even consulted him before making this decision. Maybe I can convince this guard to leave me the hell alone… he mused quietly. His multicolored eyes flicked over to the open window, taking in the sunny and clear skies. He wished a thunderstorm would roll on by.

Rhys sighed not-so-discreetly and waved at hand at Nox, effectively shutting up the raven. Nox squawked in outrage, flapping furiously, then flew over to the door and used his weight to push down the handle of the door. It slowly opened to reveal the female guard, and Nox poked his head around the door to get a look at the person on the other side.

The prince, on the other hand, wasn't as interested in seeing his guard. He continued to lounge about in much simpler clothing than he had been in during the meeting, still sharpening the sword in his lap. "Yes, miss Jaxaye?" Rhys drawled, not bothering to look in her direction.

He flicked his eyes up at her, but the look was paired with a cocky smirk. If this guard was to be assigned to Rhys, then she'd better get used to loud noises. The look fell and he feigned innocence, looking over at the raven, who was still checking Kerta out from his spot on the door handle. "Oh, you mean Nox? It's his singing lessons right about now." The raven cawed out a small melody from one of the more pleasant songs he knew in emphasis. Rhys nodded in approval, then looked back at Kerta while retracting his legs from the table, putting the chair back on all fours. "Will that be a problem?" he asked. His tone was questioning, but the challenge was there.

Nox, cawed in farewell, then turned his head to look at Rhys with a meaningful gleam in his black eyes. Rhys narrowed his own eyes at the bird and tossed a pencil at him. "No, you're not allowed to like her," he scolded, which was practically worthless with Nox's protesting caw. Rhys sighed in defeat and got up to pace his room, stopping by his oil lamps to catch a whiff of the soothing scent.

Rhys sighed and crossed his room to his bed, lying down on it with his hands tucked behind his head and closing his eyes. He wasn't tired, but he couldn't think of anything to keep him entertained that didn't involve going out of his room. The Queens might expect him to walk around with his guard starting as soon as the girl gets settled, and he didn't really want to deal with that right now.

He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, the memory already coming back to chase him into oblivion once again…

Rhys was, in fact, an early riser. He had long been awake by the time Kerta rose, getting some morning training in while everyone was asleep. As per usual, his nightmares had chased him out of bed early, and he could no longer sleep afterwards.

Which is how he ended up in Kerta's chambers, casually sitting in a chair and eating an apple while Nox perched on his shoulder. The prince was wearing a long-sleeved, dark grey coat that fell to just below his knees and was embroidered with golden thread, as well as dark red pants that were loose and comfortable and tucked into his knee-high leather boots, which were strapped to his legs at the top of the boot. A decorative belt around his hips, keeping the coat from opening up. He wore no shirt underneath the coat, which showed off some of the tattoos on his torso. (outfit)

"About time," he said offhandedly, not even looking at Kerta, as he was seemingly fascinated with his apple. His multicolored eyes were half-lidded with barely veiled exhaustion.

"Around," he said with a shrug, even though he was aware she couldn't see him. He then popped his head up and drawled while rolling his eyes, "Not like I can go far without my royal escort. Still think it's a total waste of time and an unfair blow to my rep." Really, he was mostly miffed he would have to come up with a creative way to ditch her so he could go to the underground fighting ring tonight. He had missed last night game and didn't want to miss this one too. His underlying reason for hating this arrangement was still there, but the ring was the main thing on his mind at the moment.

"No, no it does not," he grumbled to himself as he pulled himself up out of the chair and strode over to Kerta, gaze narrow. "Here's how this situation is going to play out," he said once he was in her personal space, making sure she knew that he was looking down at her, and not just physically because of the height difference.

"You are not to question what I do, nor are you to interfere with conversations I am having with people. If you don't like someone, I don't want to hear you bitch and moan about it. Keep your trap shut and don't get into my business. The only reason you're here is because of the queens, not because I want you here. That means you make your presence scarce, and if I hear that you snitched on me, then that's not going to go well for you. Understand?"

"Then I trust you'll be able to do your job and keep your trap shut at the same time." Rhys tipped his head to the side, not at all affected by her proximity and words. "Unless, of course, you're too dim to be able to multitask." And with that, he stepped away and spun on his heel, heading for the door without another word. Nox squawked and fluttered his wings at being disturbed, then decided it was best to just fly ahead.

Of course, being the Crown Prince, Rhys was invited to breakfast with the Queens. He, of course, declined, opting for his usual dining space out in the courtyard with the loud birds and the usual herd of deer that passes through. He strode through the halls with his head held high, listening to Nox's squawking and cawing in silence. He could hear the guard's—sorry, knight's—footsteps behind him, and he supposed that he could get used to the noise. He preferred that over total silence.

Rhys, as he promised, ignored Kerta for the entirety of the time it took for him to reach the courtyard. His meal had already been set up and covered by servants, sitting on the low lying table surrounded by cushioned chairs. The outdoor furniture might be just as lavish as anything inside, but they were built to last in the weather and were routinely replaced every year.

The Prince sat down with a sigh and simply lounged for a bit, eyes closed and head tipped back. The chirping birds were out in full force this morning, and he could hear the roaring of the nearby river.

"I can feel you hovering," Rhys said without opening his eyes. He didn't like hovering. It reminded him of haunting pasts waiting to pounce on him at any given moment. At least when she was trailing after him he could make her footsteps fade into the background. But now she was sitting still, but still watchful—like a nightmare just waiting for the perfect…

He sat up with a jolt, eyes flying open and nose flaring as he took a sharp breath in. Dangerous thinking, that was. Who knew what sort of embarrassing panic it would send him under, and in front of this pathetic knight no less. He was the Crown Prince, and princes didn't have panic attacks over silly nightmares. That was a child's phobia. Rhys hunched forward, elbows braced on his knees and fingers digging into his hair. He took steadying breaths—in through the nose, out through the mouth. Repeat.

He flinched when he heard her voice, instantly regretting the show of weakness—and every show of weakness he just displayed. She spoke so softly and gently as if he were on the verge of breaking. While that wasn't entirely untrue…

Rhys bristled and bit out, "Fine," as he sat up straight and focused on his food instead of his traitorous mind. He gave himself a few slow bites of food before he trusted himself to speak without a childish waver to his voice. "Walk around the perimeter, or whatever you knights do." He lazily waved his hand around in a circle above his head. His voice still had bite to it, but it was more forced than usual.

Rhys let out a heavy sigh when Kerta was out of earshot, fingers rapidly tapping the table in an unclear pattern. It was getting worse, and he didn't know what it meant. The memories and nightmares were haunting him more and more lately; his walls crumbled to the ground in a pile of dust just like that. No matter how high or how sturdy he built them, there was always someone bigger, someone better than him just around the corner, ready to smash it all to pieces in one blow.

"I'm being childish," he muttered to himself, shaking his head angrily and digging into his food without ceremony, shutting out everything around him, even Nox's pestering for a piece.

Nox gave up on Rhys and flew over to Kerta, landing on her shoulder and flapping his wings to catch his balance. He nosed about her armor, searching for any snacks or shiny things he could take from her. Rhys flicked his eyes up at the raven when he flew away, then snorted when he saw the guard being pestered instead.

The prince was feeling a little better, but he still refused to confide in the guard that had been forced on him. He's never told the Queens about these nightmares before, either, so it was no surprise he would keep it a secret from a stranger. He idly ate his food, sometimes pushing it around for a bit to think.